The present invention relates to an electrical generator and especially to a submerged reciprocating electric generator which produces electric power responsive to movement of a float riding in an oscillating fluid. This application is a continuation in part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/327,593 for RECIPROCATING ELECTRIC GENERATOR filed Oct. 10, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,413.
Open ocean swells contain large amounts of energy which can be utilized as an alternative source of electric power. This type of energy source does not create pollution or depend on finite resources. In the past, a variety of systems have been utilized to generate electric power from ocean swells by converting the motion of the waves to some other form of energy to turn a conventional rotating generator. This type of system can be seen in prior systems which use wave motion to drive a hydraulic pump to force a fluid through a turbine connected to an electrical generator. Other ocean energy systems use wave motion to force air through hollow shafts. One such system uses a by-directional turbine placed in the air shaft to produce electric power. The air is forced up the shaft by the oncoming waves and is sucked back from the shaft as the wave recedes. The air motion in the shaft then turns the turbine which drives the generator. Each of these systems suffers from loss of efficiency in the process of converting wave motion into movement of a fluid and in turn use the fluid motion to turn a turbine which drives a generator.
Prior U.S. patents which can be seen for producing electrical energy from ocean wave motion can be seen in the Rich U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,473, for an Oceanographic Generator which uses two floats, one which follows the displacement of the water surface and another which remains in a substantially stable position independent of the motion of the water and has a permanent magnet and coil attached to the float. An electromotive force is induced in the coil upon the occurrence of a relative motion between the floats. In the Last et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,251, a Method of Generating Electricity and an Electrical Generator derive electrical energy from oscillatory motion, such as in buoys or in vehicles or on animals. The generator has a stator and an armature coupled together by spring means and is effective to generate electrical current when body movement of the generator causes, by inertia effects, relative movement of the armature and stator. In the R. S. Kafka U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,336, a Wave Motion Operated Device is provided in a two component device which uses the wave motion to achieve a pumping action to pump out the bilge of a boat. Another embodiment of the invention is for an electric power generating arrangement in which the wave motion causes the generation of current which can be rectified and thereafter used for recharging the batteries of the boat.
The Hinck III U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,749, shows a Wave Power Generator especially for use in buoys and provides an apparatus for absorbing the energy available in the rocking mode of oscillation by converting it into electrical energy. In the Collard U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,976, a Floating Electric Generator produces electric power from the flow of water using a floating rotor journalled on a non-rotating shaft which is moored in place. The rotor is turned by peripheral vanes engaging the flow of water.
In the Woodbridge prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,302, an apparatus and method for converting wave energy into electrical energy uses floats to move a flexible coil in a magnetic field. In Woodbridge U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,901, a wave operated electrical generator system uses floats to oscillate arcuate permanent magnets into and out of electrical coils.
In contrast, the present invention is directed towards an electric generator adapted to increase the efficiency of a linear moving coil directly moved by a float riding on waves or other oscillation fluids in a manner to convert as much of the potential energy in the wave directly to electrical energy in locations where there is constant wave motion. A permanent magnet core electric generator having a linearly moving coil which is annularly wound on a sleeve moving coaxially in a coaxial bore formed with a center pole flux core in the center of the sleeve and an outer pole flux core on the exterior of the annular bore, both of which can be lined with permanent magnets. The arrangement of the magnets is in such a manner to create a uniform magnetic field of a single magnetic orientation throughout the entire length of the motion of the linearly moving coil.
In addition, an electromagnetic winding mounted in the closed end of the magnetic core, receives a small portion of the electric energy generated by the linearly moving coil. This in turn increases the magnetic field within the coaxial bore, which increases the electrical output of the reciprocation generator to the maximum energy available in the passing ocean swells.